PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The nation’s top law enforcement groups are pushing Congress to force cell companies to hold on to your text messages. That’s raising concern among privacy groups.

The Major Cities Chiefs Association, where Philadelphia’s top cop, Charles Ramsey, serves as president, is among those calling on the Senate to consider the new wireless policy.

One proposal would have Verizon, AT&T, and the like keep info about the texts you send and receive — or perhaps the messages themselves — for two years, so investigators can check them if there’s been a crime.

“It takes us in a very dangerous direction,” ACLU legislative council Chris Calabrese said. “Do we want to be tracked for years and years because someday, someone might want to prove something about us? No one should have information kept about them just in case they might commit a crime down the road. That’s exactly backwards to the way our country is supposed to work.”

He says there are other issues, too — such as concerns over hackers gaining access to that trove of texts and all their personal details.

“If we start saying we want to keep this stuff just in case a police officer may need it at some point down the road, we’ve really entered a society where we’re being monitored all the time, and that’s a very dangerous place to go.”

Ian Bush is an anchor, reporter, news editor, and technology editor at KYW Newsradio.
Bush joined the airstaff in August 2005 after serving as a desk/production assistant since October 2002. In 2008, he was named one of national radio’s '30 Under...